France: French Immersion Adventure

This immersive experience starts and ends in Paris. We picnic as a group for lunch in the artsy neighborhood of Montmartre. This is the perfect location for us to get to know each other and establish both personal and group goals. As we refresh our French conversational skills, we catch our first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from the overlook in front of Sacré Coeur. To end our first full day in France, we climb the stairs to the top of the Eiffel Tower and enjoy dinner as a group in a local restaurant on Rue Cler. Next, we head out of the city via high speed train to the Southeast of France, beautiful Grenoble, the capital of the French Alps. Here, we settle into our cozy accommodations and explore the city known for its dedication to preserving the natural environment. We ride “the bubbles” to take in the extraordinary panorama. From here, we gain context for the region via a discussion with local experts.

From Grenoble, we travel via private bus to stay in a small village far from the tourist crowds where down-to-earth, open-hearted people make for a warm reception! The towering scenery is breathtaking and adventure awaits us. We focus on cultural exchange and community service by working alongside community members on environmental and historical restoration initiatives. Our service includes environmental projects, such as trail maintenance in the nearby national park and repairing historic stone walls. But that’s not all! An exciting whitewater rafting trip brings us to a swimming spot in a waterfall. We also take an overnight hike up to a gîte, or mountain lodge, that provides traditional French meals and hospitality. We spend the night in the mountains before hiking back down to our base in the village.

Board our private bus for a ride south toward the quaint, picturesque city of Avignon. After settling into our new hotel, we visit the Palais des Papes to learn about this intriguing gothic architectural wonder. We stop by the famed Pont d’Avignon, the broken bridge of Avignon. Our visit happens to align with the world-famous Avignon Theater Festival, so we have the opportunity to explore the festival and associated celebrations. The next morning, a quick 40 minute bus ride takes us to the Pont de Gard for a kayaking excursion and picnic. We spend some time getting ready for the next phase of our trip – homestays in Carcassonne!

We are off to Carcassonne, our new home town near the Mediterranean! Living with local families is an excellent opportunity to practice language skills, make friends, and absorb the many cultural differences found in day-to-day living and conversation. Throughout our time here, we work on community development and education projects. We volunteer at a youth summer camp and teach English to elementary students. In nearby towns, our students work to restore historical sites important to the regional heritage, such as an 11th-century chateau, a canal’s irrigation system, or a medieval lookout tower. Excursions to the beach, through the fortress of Carcassonne, and into an underground cavern round out this memorable stay.

Please see The Homestay Experience for more information on how we select our homestay communities and families!

From Carcassonne, it’s time to explore the architectural wonders of the Sun King at le Château de Versailles. We spend a day in Versailles, touring the famous royal gardens and palace by foot and bicycle.

Bien sur, a visit to France would never be complete without time spent in beautiful Paris. We kick off our visit with a cruise along the Seine River to view the Paris monuments lit against the night sky. During the day there is so much to see and do: the Champs Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Montmartre, le Louvre, and Musée d’Orsay… the list goes on and on! We muster enough energy to have a final dinner celebration, during which we recollect how our time with Global Works gave us a unique and fulfilling glimpse of French culture.

The Global Works chaperoned Group Flight departs from New York (JFK) for this program. Airfare is not included in the tuition. Please visit the Group Flight Portal to book your flight after enrollment and Flight & Travel Arrangements for more information about travel days.